Ten Questions
by Im-On-A-Roll
Summary: Don Lino and Lenny are returning home after the big Whale Wash scene and are plaing a game of Twenty Questions. The only thing is there are ten questions 'cause I couldn't think of twenty. Please review!


Hello once again! I hope you guys like this story. It takes place right after the big Whale Wash scene in the movie. Don Lino and Lenny have left the Wash to go home and are playing a game of Twenty Questions. Only I couldn't think of twenty questions so I settled for ten. Enjoy!

**Ten Questions**

It had been a long day for Don Lino and Lenny. And I don't mean your average long day. It was a day of creepy dolphin disguises, being attacked by shrimp (yes I said shrimp), and of being caught in scary Whale Wash machines. But most of all, a day that could've been avoided if one certain fish just would've told the truth.

But all that was behind them now. Now that Lino knew what really caused Frankie's death, he didn't feel so upset anymore.

The two sharks left the Whale Wash and set off for home. Both of them, however, still had so many questions to ask each other. Since this was the first time they had actually gotten along since Lenny was a little kid, they weren't entirely sure what to discuss. They remained bashfully silent until they came to the wasteland where Frankie had died.

"Lenny..."

"Pop…"

They both spoke at the exact same time.

Lenny giggled nervously.

"You first, Pop."

"Alright. Lenny," Lino started, "Even though we cleared a few things out back there, there's still a few things I need to ask you."

"I was gonna say the exact same thing." said Lenny.

"Really?"

"Yeah." Lenny replied.

"Well, how about we play Twenty Questions?" Lino suggested.

"Twenty Questions?" Lenny asked eagerly, "We haven't played that in years!"

"So does it sound like a good idea?"

"How about we make it Ten Questions?" Lenny asked.

"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing," said Lino, "Alright, let's do ten."

"Okay, we'll each ask each other five questions," Lenny explained, "You go first and then I'll go and so on."

"Alright," Lino thought for a few seconds and finally came up with a question to ask, "First question."

Lenny listened carefully.

"You never did wanna take over the family business, did you?" Lino asked.

Lenny froze and opened his mouth to talk.

"Be honest."

Lenny sighed and looked into his father's eyes, "No, Pop. I really didn't. I'm sorry."

"That's okay." Lino replied, "I shouldn't have put so much pressure on you. You don't have to do it if you don't wanna."

"But then I'd be letting you down." Lenny said.

"No you wouldn't." Lino said truthfully. "You can choose whatever job you want. I'll be Don for a few more years and then the mob'll come to an end."

"You're alright with that, Pop?"

"I am if it makes you happy."

Lenny smiled.

"Your turn, Son."

Lenny already had his first question set in his mind, "Okay I got one, Pop," he said, "What was your dad like?"

"_My_ dad?" Lino smiled, "My dad was a really great guy. He was my role model, my hero, and my best friend. My mom died when I was just a pup and he had to do two jobs all by himself; running a reef and being a parent."

"Wow," said Lenny, "Sounds like you and mom have it easy compared to him."

Lino laughed, "But that's what made him so great. He inspired me to become a Don and a parent."

"You're great at doing both of those, Pop." Lenny said.

"Thanks, Lenny."

"Next question." Lenny said.

"Hmm…I know this sounds weird but do you think I'm old, Lenny?"

Lenny looked dumbfounded, "What?"

"Do you think I'm old?" Lino asked again, "Frankie always used to tell me I was old whenever I'd get tired after boxing with him."

"Well, let's narrow it down," said Lenny, "You still have all your teeth, you still have your short term memory, and Mom says you still have the body of a God. So in my eyes you're just a little bit old."

"You forgot to mention that I'm handsome." said Lino.

Lenny rolled his eyes, "And you're handsome."

"Good boy." Lino said, "Thanks for helpin' me feel younger."

"Don't mention it, Pop."

"Next question?"

"Um…" Lenny thought, "Would you ever eat kelp if I asked you to?"

Lino thought this was a very interesting and unexpected question, "I guess I would," he replied.

"Alright then," Lenny bent down, picked a kelp leaf out of the ground, and held it up to Lino's face. "Eat this, Pop."

"Fine, I will. Hand it over." Lino replied bravely.

Lenny handed the kelp to Lino, who stuck the whole thing in his mouth and chewed.

"Hmm. Not bad," he said when he was done chewing.

"Really?" Lenny asked, "I was expecting you to react like I did when you tried to make me eat that shrimp."

Lino chuckled, "Too bad!"

"Alright, Pop," Lenny said trying to get his mind off of what just happened, "Your turn."

"Uh…How do you think your mom will react when she sees you alive?"

"She'll probably think I'm some sort of ghost." Lenny said with a small laugh.

"You're right. She probably will." Lino agreed, "Hopefully she won't be too surprised."

Talking about his mom made Lenny think of a good question.

"Speaking of Mom, my next question is about her." Lenny said to Lino.

"Shoot."

"When you and Mom found out that I was supposedly dead, on a scale of one to ten how upset was she?"

"Ten being the highest?" Lino asked.

Lenny nodded.

"Three hundred and ninety-seven."

"Really?" Lenny asked.

"Yeah. I guess you never thought about how worried she was gonna be when you ran away, did you?"

Lenny sighed, "I thought about that a few times. I even thought about going back once or twice," he admitted, "But I kept thinking about how you were probably gonna sign me up for adoption on the internet."

Lino had never heard such a thing in all his life. "What do you mean sign you up for adoption?" he asked.

"Frankie always told me that you were gonna have me adopted by circus freaks if I never learned how to act like a shark."

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. And believe me, I know what ridiculous is. I work with Luca!" said Lino.

Lenny smiled.

"I was never gonna have you adopted, let alone by circus freaks."

They both laughed.

"I really missed Mom a lot." Lenny said.

"She missed you too, Lenny. I know she'll be happy, if not totally shocked, to see you."

"I hope so." Lenny said, "Your turn, Pop."

"Okay… I know I might've been the reason you ran away but did you ever miss me, even a little bit?" Lino hoped with all his heart that Lenny would say yes.

"Well yeah I did miss you." Lenny answered.

"Good." said Lino.

"But I missed the old you." Lenny continued.

Lino looked confused. "What do you mean the old me?" he asked.

"I missed the part of you that I used to see everyday when I was little; the part of you who actually loved me."

Lino didn't say a word, but Lenny continued.

"I missed those days when you used to tuck me in at night, when you used to stand up for me whenever Frankie was picking on me, and when you used to hug me and let me cry on your shoulder whenever I was sad or hurt." Lenny's bottom lip started to tremble. Lino felt really sorry for his little guy.

"Would you like a hug now?" he asked his son.

Lenny nodded as his eyes began to fill up with tears. Lino embraced Lenny gently and Lenny cried on his shoulder.

"Shh," Lino whispered, "It's gonna be alright."

I'm being one hundred percent honest when I say that this hug lasted longer than the hug between these two at the Whale Wash. As long as Lenny needed cheering up, Lino wouldn't let go. After about ten minutes, Lenny had finally gained control of himself.

The two sharks pulled away from each other.

"You okay?" Lino asked.

"I'm fine." said Lenny.

"Do you wanna stop the game or do you wanna keep going?"

"Let's keep going," Lenny answered, "It's my turn anyway."

"Go ahead, then."

"Didn't you ever miss those days, Pop?"

"What?" Lino asked.

"Didn't you ever miss how well we used to get along?"

Lino just didn't know how to answer a question like that. "Well, yeah I did miss those days," he finally answered, "and I was hoping they were gonna continue if you just became a real shark."

"You did, Pop?"

Lino nodded looking ashamed of himself. "But you made me realize that I love you just the way you are."

"You mean that?"

"Course I do."

"Um…" Lenny had been so touched by what his father had said that he almost forgotten that they were playing a game. "Alright, we each have one question left," he told Lino, "so we better make 'em good ones. Go ahead, Pop."

He looked at Lino, who was looking at something right in front of him as if it were a ghost.

"What is it, Pop?"

Lino didn't answer, he just kept staring. Lenny turned his eyes to whatever his dad was looking at and saw an anchor on the ground a few feet away from them. But this was an anchor that Lenny recognized only too well.

Both sharks approached the anchor slowly, neither of them taking their eyes off of it.

"Lenny?" Lino asked quietly, "Is this the anchor that…"

Lenny nodded.

"Yeah, Pop. This is the anchor Oscar told you about."

Lino stared at the anchor with pain and sadness in his eyes. He shivered as if he had just entered the icy cold North Atlantic Ocean. The thought of that very anchor falling right on top of his older son and crushing him to death was just too terrible for him to imagine. Even Lenny, who actually saw this happen and who saw his brother die right before his very eyes, could barely stand to look at the anchor.

Lino closed his eyes and sobbed.

"Pop?" said Lenny.

Lino looked at him.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Son. I just miss him a lot."

"Me too," Lenny said, "Even though he was an airhead and a bully sometimes. But he and I always had each other's backs."

"Yeah, you did," said Lino, "Like when you were in Jr. High. You canceled your dance competition to help Frankie study for his finals."

"That's what brothers do. Besides, if I let him study alone, he would've failed."

"You're right. I still don't understand how you knew so much High School stuff at twelve."

"I'm still not telling." Lenny joked.

"And what about all that stuff Frankie did for you?" Lino continued, "When you were six, he completely nailed those bullies that used to pick on you before you grew your front teeth."

"Yeah, I remember that. He really was a good brother." Lenny admitted, "I don't think anyone will be able to replace him."

"Ya don't, do ya?" Lino asked playfully, "Just watch dis."

Lenny screamed in surprise as Lino wrapped one fin around his neck and started giving him a noogie. "You heard me, Short Stuff," Lino said with an "evil" smile on his face, "Gimme your lunch money!"

Lenny tried to escape but was no match for Lino's muscles. But at the same time, he couldn't stop laughing. "Pop, cut it out!"

"You'll never escape me, Boy!" Lino snarled playfully.

"STOP!" Lenny yelled and laughed at the same time, "You're killing me!"

"Exactly," Lino chuckled.

Lenny pushed and shoved with all his might and finally broke free from Lino's grip.

"I'll get you for that one, Old Man!"

He charged right at Lino, who quickly moved out of the way.

"HA! Could your mere "Old Man" do that?"

Lino swam as fast as he could with Lenny trying to catch him from behind. Both were laughing like they were drunk.

Just a few seconds later, Lino began to slow down. Lenny finally caught up with him and jumped onto his back. Lino lost his balance and fell to the ground with Lenny on his back.

"Gotcha!" Lenny said.

But Lino was too fast and clever for a joke like this. He immediately pushed Lenny off of his back and pinned him to the ground.

"Now who's got who?" Lino asked victoriously as he started tickling Lenny's neck, "Ya give up, Small Fry?"

"YES I GIVE UP!" Lenny shouted, "JUST STOP, YOU'RE KILLING ME!"

"HA! I win!" Lino said as he got off of Lenny and helped him off the ground.

"Yeah, yeah," Lenny joked, "You win, Pop. But I kind of meant it when I said you were killing me."

"Was I a little rough on you?" Lino asked.

"Just a little bit."

"Sorry about that, Kiddo. I guess I don't know my own strength. I'll try to go a little more easy on ya."

"Thanks Pop."

"By the way," Lino continued, "You got one question left."

Lenny thought for almost a whole minute until he came up with his last question.

"Can I have another hug?"

Lino smiled, "Sure thing." He embraced his son one last time. Lenny rested his head against his father's shoulder and closed his eyes.

"Thanks, Dad."

"Anytime, Son." Lino replied as he nuzzled Lenny's head.

_The End_

_Hope you guys liked it. It took me forever to think of all the questions._


End file.
